beg the question

B

beg the question (idiom)
/ˈbɛɡ ðə ˈkwɛstʃən/

Meanings

• Circular Reasoning: Assuming the truth of the conclusion in an argument without proving it; a logical fallacy.
• Prompting a Question: Raising an obvious or implicit question that needs addressing.
• Avoiding the Question: Evading or sidestepping a question (rare).

Synonyms: assume the conclusion; raise the question; evade the issue; sidestep the point; assume; imply or prompt.

Example Sentences

1. Claiming “he’s trustworthy because he never lies” begs the question by presuming what it tries to prove.
2. Stating “we need gun control because guns are dangerous” begs the question, presuming danger justifies control without evidence.
3. This statement begs the question of whether the policy will actually work.
4. His refusal to discuss the budget begs the question of whether funds were misused.
5. Avoiding discussion of climate change policies begs the question of whether they’re effective.

Origin and History

Classical Roots (Greek and Latin)

The expression traces to Aristotle’s discussion of a logical fallacy in which an argument assumes the very point at issue. In Greek he describes this as τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ αἰτεῖσθαι (“asking at the beginning”), later rendered in medieval Latin as petitio principii (“postulating at the starting point”). These formulations identify the fallacy now called circular reasoning.

Entry into English (16th Century)

The Latin scholastic term petitio principii circulated in British learned writing by the 1300s and appeared frequently in English texts (often italicized) from the 1530s. In the late 1500s it was awkwardly translated for wider English audiences as “beg the question,” a phrasing that seeded later confusion because neither “beg” nor “question” carried their technical scholastic senses in ordinary English.

Country of Origin

As an English idiom, the phrase originated in England. The first known English attestations are in English publications produced in London in the late sixteenth century.

Earliest Printed Record

The earliest recorded use in English occurs in 1581 in A True Report of the Disputation or Rather Private Conference Had in the Tower of London, with Ed. Campion Iesuite, during the interrogation of the Jesuit Edmund Campion:

“I say this is still to begge the question.”

Early and Technical Usage

Through the seventeenth century the phrase was used in its narrow logical sense (“to assume the conclusion”). Modern reference works still recognize this as the original, formal meaning, directly tied to the Latin petitio principii and Aristotle’s account of the fallacy.

Semantic Broadening and Modern Use

From the eighteenth century onward, the expression migrated from logic into general prose, where readers unfamiliar with scholastic usage reinterpreted it. A widespread contemporary sense is “to raise or invite a question,” which many editors and usage writers note coexists (and conflicts) with the original technical meaning—leading some to advise avoiding the phrase altogether to prevent ambiguity.

Summary

• Logical ancestry: Aristotle → Greek formulation → Latin petitio principii.
• English origin: England, late 1500s; translation choices produced the now-standard idiom.
• Earliest print: 1581 Campion disputation text (“…to begge the question”).
• Current landscape: Dual readings (“assume the conclusion” vs. “raise the question”), with ongoing debate about correct usage.

Controversy